Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 320: Zhuge Liang observes the sky at night, Cao Mengde enters Jiangdong

The words that Lu Bu said casually were like lightning that cut through the darkness, dispelling the fog in the hearts of Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi and making them feel as if they had just woken up from a dream.

"What a thief Cao!"

Sima Yi suddenly realized, and could not hide his surprise in his eyes, "No wonder he would directly give up defending the Yellow River crossing and even give up the entire Yanzhou. He actually has such a plan!"

At this moment he understood everything.

From the beginning to the end, he analyzed the situation from the perspective that Cao Cao would defend Yuzhou to the death, so he felt it was abnormal that only such a small number of troops were deployed in Guandu.

But if we think about it from another angle, what if Cao Cao did not want to defend Yuzhou to the death, but wanted to give it up directly?

Then everything makes sense!
Sima Yi's words left Lu Bu, Zhao Yun, Gao Shun and others confused and they looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What do you mean, military advisor?"

Lu Bu asked in confusion, feeling that Sima Yi's words were puzzling. He had just said it casually, so how could it be related to Jiangdong?
How could Cao Cao transfer troops to Jiangdong?

Facing Lü Bu's doubts, Sima Yi looked at Zhuge Liang, who nodded and said, "Mr. Wen, you don't know. We have been misled all along."

"Mr. Wen's guess just now is correct. Cao Cao does not intend to defend Yuzhou. His real purpose is to seize Jiangdong while Sun Quan is fighting with the imperial court in Xuzhou."

"That's why he only deployed 10,000 troops in Guandu. His troops had already been secretly transferred to other places."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this.

Zhao Yun couldn't help but frown and said, "Aren't Cao Cao and Sun Quan allies? And by doing this, isn't he afraid of Sun Quan's revenge? And why did he so decisively give up the great Central Plains and turn to Jiangdong?"

He didn't quite understand why Cao Cao chose to stab Sun Quan in the back, when it was obvious that the two sides would be the most difficult to deal with if they joined forces.

Besides, how can Jiangdong be compared with the Central Plains?
"Of course he's not afraid."

Sima Yi snorted coldly and said unwillingly: "Jiangdong has the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is also not conducive to cavalry movement. It is extremely difficult to attack."

"Cao Cao's seizure of Jiangdong and abandonment of Yuzhou is equivalent to cutting off Sun Quan's retreat. At that time, Sun Quan will face all the pressure from the court alone and be caught in a situation of being attacked from both sides. How can he retaliate?"

"After Cao Cao gathered all the troops, people, supplies and food from Yanzhou and Yuzhou in Jiangdong, he had enough to hold on to one side."

Although Cao Cao's method was despicable, it was extremely brilliant and bold from a strategic perspective.

After all, giving up two states, especially important places like Yanzhou and Yuzhou, is a courage that not everyone has, and no one expected that he would dare to do so.

"Then don't we need to attack?"

Gao Shun was moved and suggested: "Cao Cao intends to give up Yuzhou and seize Jiangdong. We just need to wait until he finishes all this, and then we can take Yuzhou without any effort."

"Why bother attacking?"

Attacking Guandu is not an easy task. It will inevitably result in the loss of a lot of troops. Since Cao Cao wants to give up Yuzhou, they might as well wait for Cao's army to withdraw from Guandu.

It's just a matter of time.

But Zhuge Liang shook his head when he heard this, and said in a serious tone: "General Gao thinks too simply. Although Yuzhou and Yanzhou are important, the materials and people in these two states are more important."

"Cao Cao's retreat was not a simple evacuation. He also took a large number of civilians with him."

“We must not sit back and do nothing.”

Without supplies and civilians, Yanzhou and Yuzhou were just two empty plots of land, and would be of little use even if they were captured.

On the contrary, Cao Cao, who concentrated all his forces in Jiangdong, occupied a much smaller territory than before, but his strength became even stronger.

"Then let's attack Guandu tomorrow!"

Lu Bu made the decision immediately. He did not understand all the twists and turns that Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang talked about. He only knew that just taking Guandu would be enough!

"This matter cannot be rushed."

Sima Yi exhaled a breath of foul air, shook his head and said: "Guan Du is not so easy to capture. A rash attack will surely result in many casualties. We need to make a long-term plan."

"Cao Cao won't be able to relocate all the people and supplies so quickly. We still have a lot of time. Don't panic. Send this news back to Yecheng first."

The matter was too important for them to decide on their own.

You need to report to the emperor and wait for instructions.

"it is good."

Hearing the seriousness in Sima Yi's tone, Lu Bu did not refute and nodded in agreement.

Soon the banquet was over.

Everyone returned to their residence to rest.

However, Zhuge Liang did not go back immediately. He stood alone outside the tent, looking up at the night sky.

"What is Kong Ming doing?"

Sima Yi happened to pass by, and after seeing this scene, he stopped and asked.

He always felt that Zhuge Liang was full of mystery.

Zhuge Liang retracted his gaze upon hearing this, and seeing that it was Sima Yi, he smiled and said, "Liang is observing the stars."

"The mysteries and subtleties of the world are contained in the mysteries of the universe. I'll see if I can find a strategy to break through Guandu from them."

Sima Yi frowned when he heard this. He did not believe in astrology. To him, it was nonsense to find a way to defeat the enemy by observing the stars.

“Man proposes, God disposes.”

"Although you are proficient in Qimen Dunjia, these are just strange and tricky skills after all. I advise you not to waste your talents on these unorthodox methods."

"I will come up with a plan to defeat the enemy before you do."

"I will never lose to you again this time!"

After Sima Yi said this expressionlessly, he strode away.

Zhuge Liang chuckled and continued to watch the stars.

……

Yangzhou, outside Wu County.

Cao Cao's army set up camp here. The mighty army stretched for dozens of miles, with flags flying, which was intimidating to look at.

Shortly after the imperial army marched south, Cao Cao led his troops across the Yangtze River. After a long journey, he finally arrived at Wujun, the base camp of Sun Quan.

However, at this time in the tent, Cao Cao was looking at the letter sent from Yuzhou. His face was extremely pale and he could hardly stand.

This letter was sent by Cao Ren.

It not only describes the disastrous defeat on the front line and the need to retreat to Guandu, but also includes the news of the deaths of Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun.

"Yuan Rang, Zi He!"

Cao Cao looked at the bloodstained relics sent with the letter and could no longer hold back his grief, so he wept bitterly at his desk. Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun were not only two generals he relied on, but also his brothers. Their deaths were an extremely heavy blow to him, like breaking his two arms!

Seeing Cao Cao's grief-stricken look, Cao Xiu, who was standing by, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and asking, "My lord, the people from the four great families of Wu County have arrived. Do you want me to inform them to come to the banquet another day?"

After they arrived in Wu County yesterday, Cao Cao sent invitations to all the major families in the county, inviting them to come to the banquet and discuss important matters together.

However, Cao Cao’s current condition might not be suitable for attending the banquet.

"No need."

Cao Cao raised his hand to reject Cao Xiu's proposal, and said, suppressing his grief, "Yuan Rang and Zihe both died for our plan to move to Jiangdong."

"Now the grand plan is about to be accomplished, and all that's left is to win over these Jiangdong nobles. How can I sacrifice the public interest for personal gain and let their lives go to waste?"

"Go, get me a basin of water to wash my face."

Although Cao Cao was heartbroken, he knew that now was not the time to be sad. The most important thing now was to win over these Jiangdong families and move into Jiangdong as soon as possible.

After he led his army across the river from Lujiang County, he marched quickly all the way to the heart of Wu County, in order to capture Jiangdong before Sun Quan on the front line could react.

Today's banquet is the key to everything.

As long as he could convince these Jiangdong nobles to join him, his plan of exchanging families would be completely successful, and the deaths of Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun would not be in vain.

After washing his face and adjusting his mood, Cao Cao went to the banquet accompanied by Xu Chu, Cao Xiu and Le Jin.

The banquet was held on the shore of Taihu Lake.

Representatives from various major families have already taken their seats. They glanced at the empty main seat from time to time, each with a different expression.

Among the Jiangdong aristocratic families, the six most famous are Yu, Wei, Gu, Lu, Zhu and Zhang. They are all local aristocratic families in Jiangdong with extremely profound cultural heritage.

The reason why Sun Ce was able to develop rapidly to the point where he could compete with Yuan Shu was because of the help of these aristocratic families.

So Cao Cao also had to win their support.

In addition to them, some small and medium-sized families also sent people here. After all, Wujun and Kuaiji counties had been occupied by Cao's army, and they did not dare to refuse Cao Cao's invitation.

"You guys are really on time."

Cao Cao strode into the pavilion, sat down in the main seat, and looked at everyone with a smile.

"I am very pleased that you all accepted my invitation today. It shows that you all understand the overall situation and have a broad perspective. It is me who came a little late."

Cao Cao said this with a smile on his face, without any trace of sadness from before, and his tone was extremely easy-going, giving people a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze.

Then he raised the wine bottle and said, "To express my apology, I will drink three cups as compensation."

After saying that, he drank three glasses of wine in succession.

However, everyone present remained silent, looking at the drinks in front of them, and no one took the initiative to reach out.

Cao Cao frowned when he saw this, and seemed a little unhappy: "Why don't you drink? Are you worried that I have poisoned the wine?"

"Sir Kong, please stop beating around the bush."

At this time, a scholar suddenly spoke up. He looked at Cao Cao, frowned, and asked, "My general and the prime minister have joined forces to fight against Lu Bu."

"Now that a great war is about to begin, why is it that the Minister of Works does not deploy his troops to the front lines to resist Lu Bu's army, but instead leads his troops to besiege the two counties of Wu and Kuaiji?"

This person is Yu Fan.

Yu Fan was born in the Yu family of Kuaiji and was an old minister of Sun Ce. The question he asked now expressed the doubts in the minds of many people at the table.

What exactly did Cao Cao want to do here?
"hehe."

Facing Yu Fan's question, Cao Cao smiled faintly, put down the wine bottle and said, "Since Yu Juncheng is so anxious, I won't keep you in suspense."

"I invite you all to this banquet in the hope that you will abandon Sun Quan and join me, help me to settle in Jiangdong and replace Sun Quan."

When Cao Cao said this, everyone was shocked.

Settled in Jiangdong? !
Yu Fan's expression suddenly changed. After realizing what was happening, he stood up and pointed at Cao Cao and said angrily, "Cao Mengde! How dare you betray your promise and break the alliance?"

When he saw Cao's army approaching Kuaiji, he had a vague idea of ​​what was going to happen; but when he heard what Cao Cao said in person, he still couldn't help feeling angry.

Backstabbing an ally is simply a despicable act!

Cao Cao was not angry when Yu Fan pointed at him and scolded him. He sighed helplessly, "Mr. Yu, there is no need to be so angry. I am helpless."

"If Sun Bofu were still alive, I would be willing to join forces with him to fight against Lu Bu; but Sun Quan is still a child, even with Zhou Gongjin's assistance, it will still be difficult for him to accomplish anything great."

"I did this not only to protect myself, but also for your consideration."

"Lü Bu was extremely cruel and held the emperor hostage. He even killed the entire Yuan family. If he were to come to Jiangdong in the future, would you be able to protect your families?"

The news that the entire Yuan family was exterminated has spread throughout the world.

The Yuan family had three dukes in four generations, making them undoubtedly the most powerful family in the world. However, even such a big family was wiped out!

The impact of this incident is huge.

Although Cao Cao knew that this was an order from the emperor, he put the blame on Lu Bu at this time.

Or in other words, from the outside world's perspective, it was Lu Bu who did it.

Because no one believed that the emperor would dare to act like this. Only a poor peasant like Lu Bu, a slave who killed his master twice, could do such a cruel thing.

In addition, although there is no longer any debate about the true or false emperor, many people still believe that Lu Bu held the emperor hostage, and this was also the title Cao Cao used to fight against the imperial army.

Hearing this, a trace of fear indeed flashed across the faces of the representatives of the noble families, and their eyes began to flicker.

"What Sikong said is a bit absurd."

At this time, the head of the Lu family suddenly questioned Cao Cao: "Sikong and General Sun can't resist Lu Bu together, let alone one person?"

"Even if Sikong takes Jiangdong and temporarily survives, it is only a matter of time before Lu Bu's troops attack. What will Sikong do to resist? How can he protect himself?"

Cao Cao’s words were not enough to convince them. After all, even if two of them joined forces, they couldn’t stop Lu Bu, let alone one person?

In their view, Cao Cao chose to stab his ally in the back and secretly led his troops to take Jiangdong just because he didn't want to fight with Lu Bu.

"And as far as I know, Sikong has already lost Yanzhou and has been defeated by Lu Bu. Even Yuzhou is in danger."

The head of the Lu family told the information he had obtained not long ago.

Hearing this, Cao Cao immediately remembered the deaths of Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun. He felt a dull pain in his heart, and his eyes turned sharper when he looked at the head of the Lu family.

But he quickly retracted his gaze and said calmly: "The loss of Yanzhou was intentional on my part. My main force did not fight against Lu Bu at the front line at all. What was lost was just the empty land."

"I will also give up Yuzhou soon. By then, I will move all the troops, supplies, and civilians to Jiangdong and defend the natural barrier of the Yangtze River."

"Do you think that the troops, population, and supplies of the two states, plus the strength of Jiangdong, are enough to counter Lü Bu?"

(End of this chapter)